The Church in America has to take a hard look at our choices. Did passivity and dismissal of serious warnings (most notably the widespread indifference to Pope Paul VI’s prescient predictions set forth in Humanae Vitae) enable the dilemma we now face with the HHS contraceptive mandate? The very real possibility of being forced against our wills to pay for others’ use of contraception, abortion, and sterilization makes us wonder, could we have prevented the endangerment of our religious freedom?
Now, we have a choice: beat our breasts while lamenting, “What have we done?” or put our hands to the plow and ask, “What can be done?” In all honesty, we need to do a little of both.
Catholics United for the Faith must also reflect on our work of the past 45 years. Early on in our history, H. Lyman Stebbins noted how few donations CUF received in comparison to those received by political campaigns. Acknowledging this disappointment, Stebbins nevertheless believed “inadequacy is an indication of how much our work is needed.” The health care controversy and the ignorance of many Catholics in this regard make Stebbins’ words resonate even more so today.
We must be imbued with holy optimism as we fight vigorously now that the practice of our Faith is under unprecedented attack. The indifference of society at large may make us feel like it’s a lost cause, but again, holy optimism—the virtue of hope—challenges us to live out this vocation with utmost fidelity and redirects our efforts. We will not throw in the towel. Instead we will continue, as we pray daily in the Prayer of Catholics United for the Faith, “to direct our zeal first of all to the renewal of our own hearts.” The prayer continues, imploring “if it be Your holy will to allow us to be in any way your instruments in the wider renewal of your Church, give us the grace to know what services, small or great you ask of us. . . .”
We do know that the mission of CUF calls us to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.” As we press forward in the fight for religious freedom, we will use this threefold mission to evaluate our efforts.
Support: The health care controversy has awakened a sleeping giant by uniting bishops and various religious leaders who recognize the current threat posed to religious liberty. Never before have we witnessed such solidarity among the shepherds of the Church in America.
CUF has been at the front lines of this battle from its very conception—no pun intended. It was the dissent against Humanae Vitae that impelled the launch of this apostolate. Our relationship with the shepherds of the Church now puts us in a unique position. As we continue to stand with the Holy Father and the successors of the Apostles we will offer our assistance wherever possible. Bishops who have relied on CUF over the years know they can in good faith promote our resources among their flock.
There are many individuals who, sadly, have been entirely unaware of the Church’s teachings on contraception, but the national discussion has forced them to recognize their ignorance. The desire for truth may lead many to Catholics United for the Faith, and as they approach us, we are more than ready to answer any and all of their questions.
Defend: As we reflect on the gradual concessions that have led to a more direct and subversive attack on our religious freedom, we must courageously speak out in defense of the Faith. Fortunately, the Church continually reminds us of this duty, and in seeking to fulfill this responsibility CUF has a framework in place, a widespread network of support, and a treasury of resources to help the laity better understand, live out, and protect our Catholic faith.
Advance: H. Lyman Stebbins understood how the Church specifically calls the laity to advance the Faith and he used this as the paradigm for CUF:
We exist in order to respond publicly and together to what Vatican II called the universal call to holiness. This spiritual renewal must be realized by the response of large numbers of the laity to the call to perfection, by an awakening to the depth of totality of Christ’s call; it means a real conversion in that leaven, that salt, that light which Christ asks us to be.
As we execute our threefold mission to “support, defend, and advance” the efforts of the Catholic Church, all three are contingent on personal holiness. CUF stresses personal renewal because it is what the Church has stressed. If we are to transform our culture, our hearts first must be transformed. If we are to renew the minds of the present age, our own minds must first be renewed.
It may seem that the Church has taken a beating from which she is unlikely to recover—but Christ assures us that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church. Strategizing becomes easier when we realize that Our Lord has already won the real battle. So we do not lose heart, but we continue to stand with the Church, as we have since 1968, and we invite you to stand more firmly with us as we live out our lay vocations as Catholics United for the Faith.
Mike Sullivan is the president of Catholics United for the Faith and publisher of Lay Witness magazine and Emmaus Road Publishing. He resides in Toronto, Ohio, with his wife, Gwen, and their nine children.
The post Open Mike: To Live the Faith, Now More than Ever appeared first on Catholics United for the Faith - Catholics United for the Faith is an international lay apostolate founded to help the faithful learn what the Catholic Church teaches..